When watching Crossfire Hurricane lately, I was once again overwhelmed by the wit and originality of the JJF video and I wondered how this and other gems (Strawberry Fields!) were used back in the day. This was way before MTV, so in which context were music videoclips broadcasted/screened? were they relevant promotion vehicles at all or was this rather a case of l'art pour l'art?

The old promo clips were made to be shown on tv-shows like Ready Steady Go, Top Of The Pops or The Ed Sullivan Show. The Beatles and The Stones were among the first pop-acts who started to make these kind of clips, because it was a way to make promotion without turning up in person and having to play live on the tv-shows. Something which was always obligatorical until 1965-1966. While The Beatles stopped doing playing on tv-shows in 1966, The Stones continued, though they didn't do it in 1968.

Scopitones (musical videoclips ancestor) used to exist since the end of the 50's.

While part of a movie and not a proper "clip", I always regarded Ticket to Ride (with the movie skiing clip) as one of the earliest clips in terms of concept. They might not have intended for it to be a clip, but the result could serve as a clip...

Does anyone know where the JJF promo film was shown? I can't find any trail of where/if it was shown here in the States. Was it shown on David Frost in the UK? I know we had David Frost on here in America later, but I don't think he had a presence in '68.

The primary place to see promo films in prime time was The Smother Brothers show on CBS on Sunday night. That's where I saw the Hey Jude and Revolution films. But the Stones, no. I know they returned 'live' on Ed Sullivan to promote Let It Bleed and the '69 Tour, but as far as known the Jumping Jack Flash went unseen in America.

I think the JJF promo film was shown on TOP. Anyway is it true that there are two promo videos?

The Beatles first did this in 1966 with the Ed Sullivan show where they sent a taped message that Sullivan played on the air, apologizing for not being able to make it in person. Then the videos for Paperback Writer and Rain were played. The next year it became an exclusive method of promoting their singles, as they were no longer doing public performances. The Stones wouldn't have had to resort to this method until later, as they were still doing public performances for a while after the Beatles. So, yes, you could say the Beatles "invented" MTV--that is, a concept film around a particular song used for promotion. Promo clips had existed before, but not in the sense that they could be elaborate little movies unto themselves. As for Ticket To Ride as mentioned above, that was more part of a larger concept--that is, the movie Help. However, those performances in that movie were a direct influence on how The Monkees would be presented the following year.

Jimmie Rodgers - The Singing Brakeman is a 15 minute
short that was made in 1930 and shown in theatres featuring Rodgers
performing three songs - T For Texas - Daddy and Home - Waiting For a Train ....







ROCKMAN

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24FPS
Does anyone know where the JJF promo film was shown? I can't find any trail of where/if it was shown here in the States. Was it shown on David Frost in the UK? I know we had David Frost on here in America later, but I don't think he had a presence in '68.

Yes, it was on Frost's show, and I remember it (probably wrongly) as being late on a Saturday night. This was in the UK, no idea when it was shown in the US. What I do remember vividly is that after the period when my enthusiasm had been waning a bit because I didn't really get a sense of where they were going musically or if I was going to like it, since the blues influence had faded, I saw this and my jaw dropped and I knew I was going to stay hooked for the rest of my life. (So far so good!)

My home town band....1966 Englisch with a Haags accent.......





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Aquamarine

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24FPS
Does anyone know where the JJF promo film was shown? I can't find any trail of where/if it was shown here in the States. Was it shown on David Frost in the UK? I know we had David Frost on here in America later, but I don't think he had a presence in '68.

Yes, it was on Frost's show, and I remember it (probably wrongly) as being late on a Saturday night. This was in the UK, no idea when it was shown in the US. What I do remember vividly is that after the period when my enthusiasm had been waning a bit because I didn't really get a sense of where they were going musically or if I was going to like it, since the blues influence had faded, I saw this and my jaw dropped and I knew I was going to stay hooked for the rest of my life. (So far so good!)

Thanks. So you do remember seeing it in '68. Okay, that limits where it could have been seen since you had even less TV viewing choices than we had in the States. The Stones appeared January 15th, 1967 to promote Ruby Tuesday & Let's Spend the Night together on Sullivan. They did not appear on American TV, for almost 3 years, appearing again on Ed Sullivan November 23, 1969. I know of no Stones promotional film of any kind being shown in that States during that period. They also did not appear on an American stage for over 3 years, from July '66 until November '69.

In retrospect it seems really odd for them to ignore the American market that long, especially with Klein as a manager. It probably reflects the chaos in the band at that time, including the drug busts and Jones' rapid decline. It also illustrates their desperate need to get back on the road, for which Jones was not in shape to do. It was such a rich, vibrant American rock scene at the time, with even Hendrix making a couple TV appearances, on Cavett & the Tonight Show. Cream toured America in '68. And yet the Stones were nowhere to be found. That '69 tour was probably the most important thing they ever did, just to survive as a viable band.

<<In retrospect it seems really odd for them to ignore the American market that long, especially with Klein as a manager. It probably reflects the chaos in the band at that time, including the drug busts and Jones' rapid decline.>>

In fact, one of the reasons for dropping him when they did had to do with the fact that Brian would have jeopardized the 1969 U.S. tour given that his greater amount of drug busts over a longer period would have made it more difficult for him to be cleared for a U.S. visa, making him a serious liability in terms of moving things forward again.

Hope that link works.
I think Jack Good got this idea from The Big Bopper who sent a film over to the UK to promote one of his records shortly before his death. Certainly pre-dates The Beatles....dig Jet Harris on the bass.
This is the Shadows "visual record".

[www.youtube.com]

OT, but--Apache was the first record I ever bought with my own money.

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NICOS
My home town band....1966 Englisch with a Haags accent.......

Are you the guy with the beard and glasses NICOS?

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treaclefingers

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NICOS
My home town band....1966 Englisch with a Haags accent.......

Are you the guy with the beard and glasses NICOS?

I mean a band from my home town

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Many artist were not able to tour all over the world to promote there records back in the 30's & 40's especially. So promo films were made and were shown in many a movie houses. Another big promoter of "PROMO FILMS" I use that word loosely, was a company called Scopitone. They were a European company I believe,that made a lot these films and in Europe they had back in the 50's & 60's a Jukebox that would play these "promo" clips. You put money in and you watched the little screen that was attached to the jukebox play clip. The Rolling Stones even had one or two clips for the Jukebox.
As far as the Rolling Stones go the first promo film of them was a film made in 1963 before they had a record deal. the film was made to show to show big record company executives to get the Stones a record deal. The film was about 12 minutes
long and it showed the fans lining up outside the venue (Station Hotel) and then going in. Inside the Stones set up there equipment and perform two songs one was "Pretty Thing" a song that was popular in there set list at the time. On the dance floor seen dancing was Brian Jones girlfriend at the time Linda Lawrence. The performance was live but the audio for the film was rerecorded at a local studio. The film was shot in 35mm b/w, and was produced by Giorgio Gomelsky, the camera man who was unknown at the time later worked as a camera man on the film "Aliens". At a private screening of the film for the the band to look at; Giorgio who believed he was the Rolling Stones manager saw that a stranger was with the band, when he ask who was this guy was Brian told him he was just a close friend of his, the guy was Andrew Oldhan who was about to sign them to a management deal, cutting out Giorgio totally. The film never made it's way around to the record companies as the Stones got signed two weeks later.

The Stones made many promo films mostly to to get TV exposure on american TV shows while touring in Europe to promote their new record releases. Shindig was one of the big shows they were used on and on the Clay Cole show (a local NY TV.
show). A lot were seen but some never got aired one was "I've Been Loving You Too Long" I guess the Stones were planning to release the studio version back in 1965 on "OUT OF OUR HEADS" but changed their minds so the clip got shelved.
I believe the first aired promo film the stones did was aired on the BBC's Top of The Pops show in 1964, it was for "Not Fade Away". The clip had the Stones Rolling rocks down a hill and just running around outdoors. The Stones had many promo clips made some aired some not, it would be nice to see a list off all the promo films the Stones have made of the years.

I think that is a really good Q by OP. I can sort of imagine where the "bigger" song clips were used/ Like folks said here on RSG or TOTP; but what about the artsy clips of B Sides? "Child of the Moon" e.g. I am glad it exists but I wonder why they made it.

A fascinating topic!

VideoJames, your description of the content of Gomelsky's 'promo film' is highly interesting and total news to me. I mean, I have heard about the film, but never such a detailed account of its content. May I ask, do you have actually seen the film, or is this second hand knowledge?

Never heard about "Not Fade Away" promo film either.

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2014-10-05 13:36 by Doxa.

Georgio talks about the Stones and the Crawdaddy Club, skip to about the seven minute mark to hear him talk about the film.
Sadly, it appears to have been lost.






"As we say in England, it can get a bit trainspottery"

Regard to your question, no I have not seen the film, but I am good friends with G.G. and we talked about this film in detail. I did locate it for G.G. back in 1980 but due to unforeseen problems ($$$) I could not get it at the time. I knew the person who had it,but I waited to long to reconnect with the person and he died before I was able to meet with him again. I can probably find it again but it would take a lot of time, money and effort. The Stones made a great promo for Spider & The Fly back in 1965, that one I have seen.

Interesting stuff James thanks for posting. Do you happen to have any info about The Yardbirds material that was the subject of dispute after GG left Paris ? IIRC he had a lot of stuff stored there but there was some kind of problem but it was rumoured that he had many Yardbirds tapes from his stint as manager.
If you do have a lead about that early Stones footage i hope you get the chance to chase it up some time. That'd be great.